Growth spurt
Because Rijs Textiles is a largely digitally operated company, the proper functioning of its technical infrastructure is of great importance. Every minute that the website is offline or the underlying technology isn't working means lost revenue.
Due to the growth spurt the company had experienced since its founding, the IT environment had also outgrown its capacity and was no longer able to meet the required needs. In addition, a number of processes needed to be replaced.
Tim Rijs, founder and director of Rijs Textiles, was aware of this:
“Due to our explosive growth, we needed to modernize and automate a number of processes. The hundreds of orders and invoices that came in daily from all corners of Europe were still being entered manually.”
In addition, the plan was to introduce a new logistics system that uses wireless handheld scanners. Along with these changes, Rijs indicated that he needed a turnkey solution for his IT environment:
“Not only did we need a modern infrastructure, but we also didn’t want to have to worry about the underlying technology, so that we could focus entirely on our core business.”
Not only did we need a modern infrastructure, but we also wanted to be relieved of the burden so that we could focus entirely on our core business
Tim Rijs
Exact Globe in the Cloud
To modernize its business processes, Rijs sought an integrated system that could address the challenges the organization was facing. Rijs therefore decided to enlist the help of Exact Software.
Following an initial consultation to discuss the client’s needs, Walther van Gool, Sales Consultant, began a comprehensive analysis of the situation, examining current and future work processes. Based on this analysis and the client’s needs, a number of options were evaluated.
Together with Van Gool, Rijs came to the conclusion that Exact Globe was the most suitable solution. Exact Globe is a business software package developed by Exact Software that offers a comprehensive solution for a wide range of financial and logistical processes.
In addition to a new ERP system, Rijs was also looking for a way to take the burden off his organization. Van Gool and Rijs quickly agreed that a cloud solution was the right way to achieve this. That is why they decided to enlist the help of Parentix.
Parentix specializes in managing Exact software in the cloud. By using Parentix’s services, Rijs Textiles can run all of its systems on external servers managed by Parentix. Parentix also handles the management and monitoring of all software and hardware and ensures that the latest updates are installed.
Rijs: “The advantage of Parentix is that they offer a full range of services. They take over all of our management responsibilities. We don’t have to run a server locally, and we don’t have to worry about our technical environment. In addition, we can scale up or down on a monthly basis as needed, and we can contact them at any time if something comes up.”
Implementation
An implementation like this requires close coordination and clear communication. Fortunately, the collaboration went very smoothly from the very first meeting.
Rijs: “Throughout our collaboration, I could count on a high level of commitment. It was immediately clear to me that people aren’t satisfied until I am.”
Walther van Gool: “We actually hit it off right away after our first meeting, because I also have a background in the textile and haberdashery trade. I found it very interesting to see how Rijs Textiles has grown into an organization with customers throughout Europe in just three years. It was a great challenge for us to ensure that the IT environment could grow along with the organization’s current status.”
The old system consisted of a number of simple tools that did not synchronize with one another. This basic infrastructure had to be replaced by a fully integrated ERP system made available on an external cloud server. Once the decision was made and the choice was made to Exact Globe From a cloud environment, the three parties sat down together to discuss the details of the project. Afterward, the necessary licenses were requested, and the implementation process could actually begin.
While Qexpertise served as the primary point of contact for Rijs Textiles, Parentix worked behind the scenes to ensure that all technical infrastructure was installed on a cloud server they managed. Parentix handled tasks such as installing the software, migrating the data from the old database to the new system, creating the appropriate user accounts, and customizing the system to meet Rijs Textiles’ specific needs.
Qexpertise was then able to get started on the functional design of the software. This clear division of responsibilities ensured that the transition to the cloud went very smoothly.
Custom Solutions
In addition to the implementation of Exact Globe A number of custom solutions were required. For example, a connection had to be established between the online stores—which are hosted on an external cloud server—and the database managed by Parentix.
A new shipping solution, Transsmart, also had to be integrated with the new ERP system. In addition, Rijs wanted to start using a new order-picking system with handheld scanners to speed up the logistics process.
Rogier van Nimwegen, Sales Manager at Parentix:
“These kinds of customized solutions require flexibility on the part of the technical partner. Thanks to our knowledge and experience with Exact software and our close relationship with the software vendors, we knew exactly what we needed to do to meet these specific requests.”
One example of a task that required extra attention was connecting the handheld scanners and printers in the Rijs Textiles warehouse to the database on the Parentix server. It is important to select the correct scanners, ensure the Wi-Fi connection is strong enough, and establish a VPN connection between the printers and the database.
Results & Future
Rijs: “We’re very pleased with the results. With the new infrastructure, we can process more orders with fewer staff. In addition, error rates have been significantly reduced, and we have a better overview of inventory, which allows us to better respond to potential peak periods.”.
One example of the implementation’s success is the processing of international invoices. Whereas we previously had to calculate the VAT rates ourselves, the new tool is able to automatically detect where the invoice is from, so that the correct VAT code is loaded immediately. ”In addition, thanks to Parentix’s service, we no longer have to worry about the functioning of our IT systems.”
”We expect to continue growing in the coming years, so we will most likely need to expand the current capabilities of our IT system again soon. Our partnership is a long-term one,” said Rijs.
Van Nimwegen: “Optimizing the technical infrastructure is an ongoing process. We will therefore undoubtedly continue our discussions.”
